WHY THE GSDBA OPPOSES PROPOSITION A – A BAN ON PROJECT LABOR AGREEMENTS

The following press release was distributed to the news media today:

WHY THE GSDBA OPPOSES PROPOSITION A – A BAN ON PROJECT LABOR AGREEMENTS

The Greater San Diego Business Association today announced its opposition to Proposition A, which appears on the June ballot in the City of San Diego. It appears to be a solution where there is no problem. The City of San Diego has, to date, never required contractors to use PLAs, and none are currently proposed.

 After careful examination of data and objective analysis, GSDBA believes that the Proposition may actually harm San Diego. The State recently passed and the governor signed into law SB 829 which states that if a charter city (like San Diego) “prohibits, limits, or constrains in any way the governing  board’s authority or discretion to adopt, require or utilize a project labor agreement for city projects, then state funding cannot be used for city projects.”

State Controller John Chiang has stated that if Prop A passes, San Diego would no longer be eligible to receive state grants for construction projects. Last year alone, San Diego received $158 million for construction projects, but this funding would be completely eliminated under Prop A.

The GSDBA strongly urges voters to reject Prop A. GSDBA CEO Tom Luhnow stated, “We object to a ban that ties the hands of future city councils indefinitely.”